Judgement
by erika red
Summary: Midep for Third Horseman, as promised. Implied BA ship, maybe more later. Ch. 2 Posted!
1. Chapter 1

_Here it is, the post-ep (well, mid-ep) for _The Third Horseman. _Please R&R!_

* * *

It was one of those weeks. It wasn't any case in particular, just all of them piling up, slowly becoming a weight that couldn't be pushed away any longer. It was politics and ethics and the clash of morals and ideals from people who were supposed to be playing on the same team.

She had fixed him with an intense stare and made him give her an answer. And the truth was, he didn't have one. Well, he did, but he didn't like it. But she was satisfied with it.

"Life is full of uncertainty, people need options. Abortion needs to be one of those options."

He sighed. He was wearing a smudged t-shirt, his army jacket hung on the back of his chair. Eames looked over at him, and smiled slightly. He wished the world weren't this way. He wished people could just live, happily, and have babies if they wanted them. He wished that babies were always wanted. That no one had to ever make a choice about them. He wished that people were smart enough, sane enough, good enough, generous enough... mature enough, prepared enough... that people were never raped or taken advantage of, that education were better, that the system were better.. it just wasn't _fair. _Life wasn't fair. And today, that really pissed him off.

She glanced at him. His hair was mussed up, he was still in his undercover homeless guy outfit from earlier, when they'd tracked down their suspect, a sharpshooting abortionist killer. She wasn't accustomed to him not wearing a suit, and she kept telling herself that's why she kept glancing up. Truthfully, though, it was easier to let her more basic brain functions admire his toned figure through the thin cotton of his t-shirt than think about how screwed up the world was. Scum of the earth, day in and day out. Trying to bring a balance as best as anyone could, while still being the flawed, scared, screwed up human being that everyone is. The moral debates she had with herself just made her head ache after a while. She'd concluded a long time ago that no, she wasn't god, no, she didn't have a right to judge, but damn it, she didn't _like _people who hurt other people and got away with it. She derived great pleasure from being half of the team that brought down the bad guy time and again. And besides, she wasn't judging. She was just bringing in the bad guy to _be _judged by someone else. She realized she'd been staring at the same form for the last five minutes, and that her partner... her tousled, weary, sexy partner was staring at her.

"That's it." He said, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"What?"

"We're getting out of here. I promised you alcohol, and by god, I'm going to give it to you."

"Intravenously?"

"I'll do what I have to." His expression was grim, but she caught the humor in his eyes, and grinned as he slipped his jacket over his shoulders, and in the same fluid motion, grabbing hers and holding it open for her.

* * *

_Y'all know the drill; want more? R&R!_  



	2. Chapter 2

_Without further ado..._

* * *

They rode mostly in silence, driving in the direction they would need to in order to get to a bar or home.

"Hold on, pull over." Goren undid his seat belt.

"Here?"

"Yeah, wherever you can." He already had his door half open when she stopped the SUV.

"You okay?"

"Fine. I'm just gonna run in there real quick." He grinned at her, and she smiled, peering over the steering wheel to see where he'd gestured to. A liquor store. _Jeez, he wasn't kidding. _

She waited a few minutes until he pushed open the glass door, and walked through with a case under his arm. He opened the back door and plopped it gently on the floor, then sat down again.

"Alright, I'll bite."

"Screw the bar scene. We have to be up too early anyway. Might as well order in and drown our sorrows in beer."

"Beer is good for you."

"It has vitamins." He mumbled, rubbing his face, wearily.

"Your place or mine?"

"Up to you."

"I'd say your place, but you'll insist on taking the couch anyway."

He shrugged.

"What the hell, I can still try and fight you on it." She started heading towards his apartment.

"Unarmed?"

"Of course."

"Good luck then."

"Jerk."

"Yeah, yeah," He said quietly. In fact, their entire conversation was subdued. He looked out the window, watching the gloaming settle over the city.

"Alex?"

"Hmm."

"What I said today.."

"What about it?"

"It was kind of a cop out."

"Well, the first part was," She nodded slightly.

"The second part, too. I don't have a good answer for you."

She snorted. "If someone had a good answer to the question, I don't think it would be as hotly debated."

"How do you feel about it?"

"The same as you, I think."

"Really?"

"It's cute you guys think I'm going to turn into some ball-shredding feminazi, but I like babies. I've never had one, but I'd like to someday. Someday, when I have someone in my life who'd be a good dad. That, and a few other conditions."

He watched her for a moment. Her face was shadows and cream in the half-light, and her eyelashes cast a faint blue darkness onto her cheeks. He cleared his throat softly.

"I don't think it's fair," She licked her lips, "for men not to have some rights regarding unborn children.. on the other hand," She sighed, looking over at him as they came to a stop. "It's a woman's body. It's not like pregnancy is a cold.. you get it and it goes away after a few days. It's nine months, and the rest of your life. Not to mention the baby's life." Her small shoulders squared and she looked at her lap. "I wish there were a good and fair and absolute answer for every instance and every possible scenario. There isn't. And _because _of that, the choice needs to be there. I'm not saying it's the good or right choice in every situation. I'm not saying that adoption or even sucking it up and taking responsibility for your own choices are bad things.. just that people need options. Like you said."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"What do you want to eat? I'm starving." She looked over at him, and he smiled.

"I was thinking pizza, but I'm open to suggestions."

* * *

_More? Please R&R!  
_


End file.
